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The Chicago Bulls made a significant number of roster changes during the NBA offseason. Spending was clearly not an issue, apparent by the signings of of Lonzo Ball, DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso to sizeable contracts.
Derrick Jones Jr. was acquired via trade in exchange for Lauri Markkanen to bolster the wing depth of the Chicago Bulls. Nikola Vucevic, who was brought on around the trade deadline last season, now has a full offseason under his belt to acclimate to his new role.
You'd have to go back to the time of MVP-caliber Derrick Rose to find Chicago Bulls lineups with comparable talent levels to ones that will be rolled out there in 2021-22. There's valid reason for excitement in the Windy City, and Billy Donovan will have some work to do to find the most ideal rotations.
Luckily, that's exactly what the beginning of the regular season is for. New teammates will grow an understanding of ideal ways to compliment one another in due time. Here are three lineups I am intrigued to see the Chicago Bulls utilize in the 2021-22 NBA season.
#3 The likely starting five
Basic, I know. But how can you not be excited about what the starting five will probably be for the Chicago Bulls this season? That lineup includes Lonzo Ball, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Patrick Williams, and Nikola Vucevic.
Zach LaVine has never played with this amount of talent around him, and can now share some of the offensive burden with more than capable playmakers.
You can already ink in some highlight level Lonzo Ball lobs to Zach LaVine in transition. DeMar DeRozan took a significant leap in his passing ability throughout his time with the San Antonio Spurs and still possesses his deadly mid-range.
Patrick Williams has untapped potential off the bounce and should display some expected growth after being one of the youngest rookies in the league last season at 19 years old.
Nikola Vucevic has shown he can consistently do anything and everything on the offensive end. If things go as planned, this will be the first time in his career where he is gifted with open catch-and-shoot opportunities with less self creation responsibility.
Point being, the offensive versatility of this lineup is ridiculous. Spacing, self-creation, playmaking for others, penetrating, post-up options - it's all there. The defense may need to come along with time, but the idea here is to outscore the opposition.
#2 Defensive focused
It's difficult to envision the Chicago Bulls being a top-15 defensive team, but a lineup of Lonzo Ball, Alex Caruso, Derrick Jones Jr., Patrick Williams and Nikola Vucevic is probably one of their best options.
Including Vucevic in a defensive-focused lineup seems counterproductive, but the offense has got to come from somewhere. Tony Bradley also isn't the most inspiring backup center in the association.
Lonzo Ball has proven to be an off-ball playmaker, as evident by his 1.5 steals per night last season. Sufficient lateral speed at his size of 6'6 is also exceptional for a point and gives him a leg up on containing smaller guards.
Alex Caruso is just one of those guys that you'd love to have on your team, just ask any Los Angeles Lakers fan. His energy is contagious and 50/50 balls are turned into 60/40s in Chicago's favor.
Derrick Jones Jr. has his own offensive limitations, but his 7'0" wingspan and well known athletic ability make him a defensive difference maker. Jones is another player I would expect to enjoy playing alongside Lonzo, as will the highlight reel makers.
Rookies are scarcely positive defenders, even if that is what they are drafted for. While Patrick Williams is certainly more than a defensive specialist, his impressive frame should lead to him being excellent in that aspect. While they are too kind for my liking, there's reasons that the lazy comparison for him is Kawhi Leonard.
To find some competence and consistency on offense, Vucevic was thrown in there. Again, I am just not too motivated by the idea of Tony Bradley either. Throughout his time in Orlando, Vucevic primarily functioned as the centerpiece of an offense and while that isn't exactly ideal, he certainly has proven to be capable in that role.
#1 The High-Flyers
Highlight reels will be coming out of the Chicago Bulls game on the regular. Lonzo Ball, Alex Caruso, Zach LaVine, Derrick Jones Jr., and Patrick Williams sharing the floor feels like it should be must-see television.
To address the obvious, Patrick Williams played zero minutes as a five last season. That is something that I would be very intrigued to see attempted in stretches throughout his career as he has the strength to battle down low with bigger bodies. Maybe Vucevic would be more ideal here to spread the floor and open driving lines, but I went with Williams to fit the athletic theme.
Obviously every play finisher and dunker is going to love to play alongside someone with Lonzo Ball's vision and passing ability. People forget the bounce that Alex Caruso possesses and he isn't afraid to throw it down on someone's head.
The obvious stars here though are the former dunk champions, Zach LaVine and Derrick Jones Jr. Imagine trying to defend a fastbreak with Lonzo coming down the middle with the rock while LaVine and Jones sprint down the lanes. Like I said, I must watch television for Chicago Bulls' fans.
